Hasidic pilgrims are ready to perform religious rites on planes above Uman
Haim Khazin told Gazeta.ua about it.
Every year, up to 30 thousand pilgrims from all over the world came to Uman to celebrate Rosh Hashanah. There they pray at the grave of their righteous Rabbi Nachman.
“For a couple of hours before the start of Rosh Hashanah, the aircraft will set off to Uman. They will make several circles over the grave of Rabbi Nachman. People will say a prayer and return the same day to their countries in Israel, the US or Europe. Rabbi Nachman bequeathed that he would be the lawyer before God to whoever comes to him on the day of the beginning of Rosh Hashanah, says a prayer and gives a sacrifice. Therefore, it is enough to arrive by plane in Uman. This is not a new idea. Some people come to Jerusalem - they pray on the plane and come back.”
This way, pilgrims will be able to avoid two weeks of self-isolation in Ukraine and to fulfill the precept of the mentor, Khazin believes.
“If everything goes well, it may be that people just don't want to stay here on Rosh Hashanah. This will be more economically wise. Fewer headaches and no need for two weeks of isolation.”
This year, Rosh Hashanah is celebrated on September 19. In Uman, they are deciding on whether to cancel religious measures. The mayor of the city Oleksandr Tsebriy does not support the arrival of pilgrims because of the projected increase in the incidence of coronavirus at this time. Last year, the city was visited by up to 30 thousand believers.
